Urban Planning
Mohamad Javad Noori; Kaveh Asadpoor
Volume 5, Issue 18 , May 2016, , Pages 63-76
Abstract
Objectives: The “MEHR” housing project is one of the most recent projects undertaken by the Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. Despite the main aim of the project which is accommodating low income citizens, recent studies demonstrate that the living condition in these housing projects ...
Read More
Objectives: The “MEHR” housing project is one of the most recent projects undertaken by the Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. Despite the main aim of the project which is accommodating low income citizens, recent studies demonstrate that the living condition in these housing projects is not satisfactory. The main aim of this article is to evaluate the satisfaction level of residents in Mehr housing project from residents’ perspectives through both qualitative and quantitative methods. “Exploratory Factor analysis” was used as the main method mainly due to its capability in analyzing the parameters which are affected by the context.
Findings: The findings of this article indicate that factor analysis causes a reduction in the number of satisfaction indicators from 71 to 22. Furthermore, application of “varimax rotation” in factor analysis method is due to its ability in correlating literature reviews with the result. In this article, KMO index was 0/611 which is considered in the standard range of factor analysis. Skewness & Kurtosis indexes was calculated to assess the normality of questionnaire data. Finally, normalization process show the various conditions of various factors. Eventually, cluster analysis presented the distribution of satisfaction in the study sample (150 households). In contrast to prior studies, this research identified a four-level structure for Mehr housing project satisfactory factors (housing units, housing buildings; housing site, surrounding area of the site)
Results: The results show that the most important factors in the residents’ dissatisfaction in “MEHR” housing project were the lack of access to primary civic services (educational, religious and security), lack of activity centers, the need for pedestrian-oriented and mixed use development, insufficient surveillance and low maintenance service on the interior spaces of housing units, high level of environmental pollutants and lack of recreational spaces. The findings of this article show that 76 percent of households were not satisfied with the quality of their life. The result of this article would help the executive agencies of “MEHR” housing projects, in considering the satisfaction level of residents. This article also demonstrates that "shelter making" alone cannot be considered a comprehensive satisfactory parameter for low income households because the essential needs of individuals is to live in a well-designed community and not just in a shelter. Therefore, this article recommends to first assess the future needs of residents prior to the development process. People who live in Dehaqan Mehr housing were found to be satisfied with having a shelter but the quality of life was not acceptable due to the factors discussed. The main factors causing serious problems in this Mehr housing project were identified to be related to its infrastructures and social and health issues as Finally, it is worth mentioning that the city management system of “MEHR” housing project has to invest on short term actions, first to build a school, a mosque and a police station and second to allocate the best places for communal activities (such as markets, green spaces and cultural centers).
Urban Planning
Mostafa Toghi; Meisam Akbarzadeh; Ali Sabuhanian
Volume 5, Issue 17 , February 2016, , Pages 5-14
Abstract
Today, factors such as lifestyle, work and shortened distances, populations mostly live communally and in high densities. Everyday, the number of old, single family houses decrease while the number of apartments ...
Read More
Today, factors such as lifestyle, work and shortened distances, populations mostly live communally and in high densities. Everyday, the number of old, single family houses decrease while the number of apartments and towers increase. An increase in the number of floors of building causes an increase in the number of people residing in them, and thus increases the probability of error and incident - for example - fire. Furthermore, evacuation of a large number of people from the narrow corridors and steps during a short period of time is unlikely. Therefore, determining a safe and quick evacuation plan through direct observation of real situations, carrying out controlled experiments (maneuver) and simulation methods for the collection and analysis of pedestrian behavior in different situations is of great importance. In crisis mode, direct observation is rarely possible. Maneuver, in addition to being time-consuming and costly, is more likely to have behavioral errors. Moreover, atsmall and sparsely populated sites, maneuver can be assessed in terms of evacuationby holding practices . However, t such experiments at the more populous and larger sites is not feasible and simulation is used to forecast the effects of various emergency evacuation scenarios. Meanwhile, obtaining real data in this field requires costly and time consuming maneuvers and it is impossible to assess projects that have not yet been implemented. Hence, in this study software and simulations are used as is the norm at present for undertaking research in this field. In this study, first, different models and approaches used for simulation are introduced and discussed and then a software based on these models was used. Then, an office building in Isfahan was studied to determine the most likely threats and hazazards through surveying experts in the field. According to a survey regarding the probability of damage to electricity rooms, gas and powerhouse facilities on the most vulnerable and the radius of destruction plants, gas plants, machine rooms, electrical rooms, will be the most pathogenic.[H1] In the following seven scenarios, possible risks were defined and simulated in the software. By carrying out the shortest path analysiscurrent exit doors of the building were evaluated, and taking into account that a greater number of people used the east side of the building, an emergency exit door on this side was put forward. Furthermore, this study identified six critical corridors (bottleneck at evacuation). Solutions presented in this study include widening doors of the building, installing emergency exit signposts, maintaining and making regular safety checks of facilities keeping relief supplies in the building (such as high pressure valves for firefighters), reducing the number of fixed barriers ( such as gates, fences and chains at private parking lots ) and replacing them with interrupted plastic barriers. , Marginal car parks should be better managed to create enough space for rescue vehicles to pass through and control parking on the main walkways near the main entrance .
Urban Planning
Volume 6, Issue 21 , February 2016, , Pages 5-16
Abstract
The tourism destination image (TDI) is considered an effective element in destination selection and tourist behavior . The importance of tourism destination image is clear for all practitioners in the tourism industry and researchers. This importance mainly lies in tourists’ mental image of a destination ...
Read More
The tourism destination image (TDI) is considered an effective element in destination selection and tourist behavior . The importance of tourism destination image is clear for all practitioners in the tourism industry and researchers. This importance mainly lies in tourists’ mental image of a destination image and the resultant behavior that lead to choosing a favorable destination. The importance of the tourist destination image is universally acknowledged since it affects the individual’s subjective perception and consequent behavior and destination choice. Thus, this study investigated effective elements in the formation of these mental images. First a model was developed based on theories and literature review and then data of tourists’ mental images of Urmia city in Iran was collected by survey method in the form of a questionnaire. Then, the hypothesis was tested. The study population consisted of all domestic tourists who travelled to Urmia between March and August, 2014 (a period of six months) . Objectives This research attempted to identify the relationship between tourists’ mental images, their decisions and behavior and the importance of destination image. Destination image is investigated as an effective element in tourism behavior and market. Thus, the inferred vision of tourists of Urmia and effective elements in creating and changing this image was first studied. Then, proposals for creating and improving the positive and extraordinary images of tourism was put forward. Western Azerbaijan province is the only province in Iran which has common boundaries with three countries and thus has an eastern and western corridor into and out of Iran. This fact could lead to an increase of tourism in the area. Urmia, like other cities in the province has an ancient civilization, rich historical places and various cultural and natural attractions which means it has great potentials for tourism. Finding and Results Data for this research was obtained by library studies and literature reviews which led to the design of the questionnaires. Questionnaires included 29 questions (4 question for travel satisfaction, 7 question for perceived value, 7 question for Trip quality, and 11 variable question for field variables and other issues for tourism travel). In this research, in order to analyze data and mental images of Urmia, travelers were questioned regarding attractions, availability, safety, services, hosting indexes before and after their travels. Results indicate that the perceived value has a direct effect on tourist destination image and is due to the coefficient of determination in the regression model. It can be said that 43 percent of the dependent variable (the destination image) can be obtained by changing the variables in the model's quality and perceived travel value. The results of the second hypothesis confirmed that image before and after traveling to the city of Urmia as a tourist destination is different in some indicators. A third hypothesis suggested the relatively strong correlation (75/0) between the two variables of perceived image of the city of Urmia and tourists willing to travel there again. Moreover, the Spearman test showed that relationship satisfaction and willingness to travel were 95 percent significant. It can therefore be concluded that by improving the image of tourists will also increase the willingness of tourists to travel again.
Urban Planning
hadi torkashvand
Volume 6, Issue 21 , February 2016, , Pages 65-76
Abstract
Community is one of the most important and fundamental aspects in physical divisions in cities which is considered the oldest heritage of urbanization. It has played important role in spatial and physical structure of the city in the past, but today the structure and functions of communities of the city ...
Read More
Community is one of the most important and fundamental aspects in physical divisions in cities which is considered the oldest heritage of urbanization. It has played important role in spatial and physical structure of the city in the past, but today the structure and functions of communities of the city has mostly changed, community networks and physical and social spaces have been destroyed causing many problems for cities including destruction of social relationships, migration of native inhabitants in historical communities, the decrease of people’s community participation, increase of crimes, physical and infrastructural problems, and insecurity. These problems are only a small part of problems related to lack of attention to community development in urban studies systems. Development of city programming in its evolution and using development of city programming in community development format and programmers’ attention to social problems instead of considering common approaches which emphasize physical problems have caused greater attention being paid to urban communities and local societies compared to the past. In this way, considering urban communities as one of the principal units of urban programming and studying its capacities was the fundamental and important priority in many countries to recognize and count abilities of local societies. Furthermore, community can be considered one of the most important arms of urban growth. Therefore, a deeper understanding of community development system and bridging the existing gap can lead to better understanding by planners in making the right decisions. On the other hand, social trust is a critical issue for human societies with fundamental links to community development. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between social trust with community development in the Fahadan community of Yazd. Because of physical, cultural and social values and identity in communities in general and in historical communities specifically programming can be very important. The methodology of this research in terms of aim is applicable- developmental and in terms of the nature and method is descriptive – analytical. The used tool was a questionnaire that was analyzed in SPSS and Amos softwares. The results show that there is a direct and significant relationship between social trust and community development. Moreover, Standardized Beta coefficient in institutional trust variables by a factor of (307/0 = β), interpersonal trust by a factor of (185/0 = β), generalized trust by a factor of (158/0 = β) and self-confidence environment with beta coefficient (103/0 = β) have the largest share in explaining community development. Structural equation modeling results show that by increasing social trust, community development components should also increase. Finally, according to research components some recommendations were presented and the obtained results of the studies were compared with existing studies. It was found that the findings was propounded by Ziari et al and similar to Madani’s research.
Urban Planning
Mohammad Reza Zamiri; Mahsa Zamiri; Mahin Nastaran
Volume 5, Issue 17 , February 2016, , Pages 67-76
Abstract
Introduction
Appropriate shelter and affordable housing as an essential and vital human need and as one of the main and important elements in forming and physically developing cities have become the most important subject in spatial development and planning in contemporary urban areas. Housing, which ...
Read More
Introduction
Appropriate shelter and affordable housing as an essential and vital human need and as one of the main and important elements in forming and physically developing cities have become the most important subject in spatial development and planning in contemporary urban areas. Housing, which by definition means a set of houses, streets and related facilities, is the most important component of a city and its development affects environment, economy, culture and social issues in an urban area. There are many indicators and criteria to evaluate housing conditions such as building quality (i.e. materials), property types, age, and density and so on. Nowadays the importance of spatial approach for studying urban aspects has become increasingly evident. Therefore, quantitative methods should be introduced and used to evaluate development trends in such spatial approach. Studying spatial aspects of urban housing development and analyzing distribution of its features does not have a long history in Iran.
Materials and Methods
In this research, as an applied research, descriptive and analytical methods were used. Thus, the required data was collected from statistical almanacs and results of a recent comprehensive census in 2011 and construction licenses which were authorized by the Bojnord municipality council during the 2004-2014 period. The general trend of spatial development of urban housing was studied and evaluated using quantitative methods such as Shanon's Entropy and Moran's Global Coefficient. The area of the city was divided into 26 subdivisions according to the approved detailed plan (2004). Then, spatial distribution of three main types of housing (one and two-store buildings, three and four-store buildings and more than four-store buildings) was derived through collected data and entered into a GIS database to apply the models. In addition, correlation analysis was used to clarify parameters which influence spatial changes in housing distribution in Bojnord.
Results and Discussion
This research is one of the first experiences in spatial analysis of distribution of housing properties at city level using quantitative methods. Bojnord is located in North-East Iran and is on average 1,070 meters above sea level and has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. Current center of the city was formed during the Qajar dynasty, 350 years ago. Since upgrading to the center of North Khorasan province, Bojnord has experienced a rapid and sudden growth in physical, economic and social aspects and as a result in urban housing. Studying quality and process of urban housing growth and development in Bojnord during the aforementioned period using a spatial approach is the main goal of this research. After establishment of the new province, Bojnord has evolved in terms of shape and type of housing development trends. Except for the center of the city and margin areas (which are considered as informal settlements), it seems the trend of housing development in Bojnord aims toward more centralization and density. Such changes might be observed in emerging residential complexes and growing number of apartments in the city which can also be considered as evolving lifestyle in Bojnord.
Conclusion
Based on the results, increasing construction and housing development causes a more centralized pattern in urban housing. Such trend was caused by national elements such as inflation or deflation rather than local parameters such as population and land prices. On the other hand, it may be concluded that urban sprawl has not occurred in Bojnord in this period of time. In conclusion, all kinds of housing planning at all levels (national, regional or urban planning) should take spatial approach instead of leaning on merely physical aspects, and cannot be implemented and evaluated based only on internal factors and parameters.
Urban Planning
negin mozafari; bita latifi; naser barakpour
Volume 5, Issue 17 , February 2016, , Pages 77-92
Abstract
Residential satisfaction has been a major and popular research topic for the following reasons. First, individual's evaluations of housing and neighborhoods determine the way they respond to residential environment and form the basis for public policy feedback. Second, residential satisfaction is recognized ...
Read More
Residential satisfaction has been a major and popular research topic for the following reasons. First, individual's evaluations of housing and neighborhoods determine the way they respond to residential environment and form the basis for public policy feedback. Second, residential satisfaction is recognized as important components of an individual's quality of life. Furthermore, high satisfaction among residents encourages them to stay on and induces others to move in, and low satisfaction with the neighborhood environment urges current residents to move out.
On the other hand, although physical characteristics of housing units are known to be very effective in the residential satisfaction rating by many scholars, it should be noted that the dwelling unit itself is not the only factor of satisfaction but it is only a subsystem of the whole residential livability system. In this sense, humans interact with multiple components in their living environment, and continuously influence the environment and are affected by it. This interaction alters an individual’s feeling toward their residential environment. thus, this interaction can be examined in the form of a system that includes residential units, neighborhood and neighbors. In regards to neighborhood satisfaction, although some researches find that the physical characteristics are the most important factors and planners support the importance of physical characteristics, residents consider social factors more important in judging a neighborhood. The current study assesses the level of residential satisfaction in two neighborhoods of Tehran and compares them to create a basis for evaluating urban policies and decisions in recent years and shows the effectiveness of different factors on the satisfaction of residents of different neighborhoods by comparing them. For this purpose, the operating model to measure satisfaction was derived by examining studies of different researchers in the form of approaches (including the belief-affect approach, the commitment approach and the availability approach), factors (individual's characteristics, characteristics of residential environment, feeling and perception of residents etc.) and models (Amerigo model, comparing the level of satisfaction in culturally homogeneous and heterogeneous neighborhoods model etc.). In the proposed model, attention has been paid to all three levels of person, dwelling unit and residential environment and factors which affect satisfaction have been classified under five categories: objective criteria related to the individual, objective criteria related to the environment, objective criteria related to the dwelling unit, subjective criteria related to the individual and subjective criteria related to the environment through a survey questionnaire. Satisfaction levels of residents of neighborhood 1 (located in region three of Tehran municipality) and residents of neighborhood 2 (located in region 11 of Tehran municipality) were compared with each other. A total of 100 questionnaires were completed for each neighborhood. Findings of the study show that the highest and lowest satisfaction in neighborhood 1 were linked to the objective criteria related to the dwelling unit and objective criteria related to the environment and in neighborhood 2, to subjective criteria related to the environment and subjective criteria related to the individual. Overall satisfaction in neighborhood 1 (between moderate and satisfied) was higher than neighborhood 2 (between dissatisfied and moderate).
Urban Planning
Hossein Maroufi; Goldis Vahidi Borji
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 5-14
Urban Planning
Mohammad Sheikhi; sasan rooshenas
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 15-26
Urban Planning
m m; m sh; a s; m m
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 55-66
Urban Planning
a a; a t; a z
Volume 4, Issue 16 , November 2015, , Pages 67-80
Urban Planning
Sajjad Fallah Zadeh; Farzin Mahmoudi Pati
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 5-16
Abstract
An urban regeneration project is defined as a series of actions determined to accomplish urban regeneration aims that lead to a reduction of the problems of an area through the improvement of socio-economic, physical and environmental conditions (Roberts & Sykes, 2000; Yu & Lee, 2012). "Today, ...
Read More
An urban regeneration project is defined as a series of actions determined to accomplish urban regeneration aims that lead to a reduction of the problems of an area through the improvement of socio-economic, physical and environmental conditions (Roberts & Sykes, 2000; Yu & Lee, 2012). "Today, urban regeneration is one of key principles in act of planning and it is beyond the urban renewal, urban redevelopment or urban rehabilitation processes because of its longer-term and strategic approaches and its socioeconomic goals beside physical ones" (Tarkay, 2010; 22). In the context of participating actors and stakeholders, the transition of urban regeneration policies has shown that from the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century, in each decade, the policies had a tendency toward cross-sector partnerships amongst private sector, public sector and community. From 1990s until the present participatory approach has dominated, local authorities have been empowered and coalition amongst the main actors and stakeholders has been enhanced (Roberts & Sykes, 2000; Tsenkova, 2002; McDonald et al, 2009). In fact, participation, strategic planning and sustainability form a triangle and provide a basis for actions in urban regeneration. In other words, participation (public, inter-organizational and participation among organizations, people and other stakeholders), strategic planning (combating urban decline, problem solving and involvement of all stakeholders) and taking into consideration sustainability goals (socio-economic, environmental and sustainability of acts in planning) are the main elements in urban regeneration (Nourian and Ariana, 2013). The essence of urban regeneration projects is very different from other urban development projects due to their complexity, in particular from the perspective of uncertainties because there are various actors and stakeholders such as local government, private developers, public organization and local communities who are involved in planning of these projects. For example, it is possible when one policy needing actors' participation is running, then several conflicts can occur amongst stakeholders due to the complexity of relationships. The results of these conflicts will increase costs, lowering efficiency and delaying implementation schedule (Carley, 2000; Yu & Lee, 2012). One of the complexities of participatory urban regeneration projects is to bring the key actors and stakeholders together to participate. This will need cooperation between local government, public organizations, private developers and local residents (Carley, 2000; Ball and Maginn, 2005). Therefore, one of the main reasons for the failure of urban regeneration projects is the occurrence of conflicts of interest amongst various key stakeholders in order to implement its participatory-oriented policies of the project. To this end, the present research seeks to assess participatory policies of an urban regeneration project and then prioritizing them based on the rate of possible conflicts-risk among stakeholders via offering a method of risk assessment. This method is a combination of FMEA and VIKOR methods in fuzzy environment with a proposed process. Applying this synthesis method to assess five participatory policies has shown that, based on the Q index, the low conflict-risk policies are desirable and they can be prioritized for implementation. Additionally, based on the Q index, the high conflict-risk policies are undesirable and they need to be corrected. Consequently, the combined method has been shown that the projects or the policies facing less risk can be prioritized for implementation.
Urban Planning
Keramattolah ziari; mahsa haji; asad moradi
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 37-52
Abstract
Although the rate of urbanization in developed countries remains in a suitable position and is under control, the continued rapid growth of urbanization in developing countries (such as Iran) is quite evident. This issue of providing shelter and adequate housing in the country has turned into a ...
Read More
Although the rate of urbanization in developed countries remains in a suitable position and is under control, the continued rapid growth of urbanization in developing countries (such as Iran) is quite evident. This issue of providing shelter and adequate housing in the country has turned into a serious crisis and has global-scale problems. Housing has an important role in satisfaction of the the physical, emotional and social needs of people. In addition, housing can serve to promote social justice and reduce the relative gap between different social classes. Moreover, it has an important role in economic solidity and social constancy of community and national development. The qualitative and quantitative indicators of housing are one of the key measurement tools for development in of countries. Although worldwide the analysis of housing indicators and the their role are very important, they are not used in codification of housing policy in Iran. Therefor policy and decision-makers have no knowledge of housing indicators`in decision making and their impact on residents. The goal of this research is a comprehensive recognition of housing conditions in the urban areas of Iran and the transition process of quantitative and qualitative indicators of housing in Kurdistan Province and the city of Marivan will be assessed comparatively in the period 1966 – 2011. . The research method used was analytic – descriptive and based on analysis of secondary data. The results of this research show that quantitative indicators of housing desirably proceeded from 1966 to 2011. Although the scope of the study in terms of housing and household density of residential units have had relatively favorable conditions, there is a distance in reaching the desirable conditions in other quantitative indicators (household members per room and residential unit). Furthermore, qualitative indicators of housing have come a long way from 45 years ago, but some housing units in urban areas are made from semi-durable and non-durable materials. Most housing units in urban areas of the country have exhausted their habitability and are in need of modernization and improvement. In terms of occupation, the property in urban areas of the country had an upward trend until 1986(68/98 per cent). The main reason for this being law enforcement of urban land and land transfer. However, from then to 2011 a downward trend occurred in the country which reached 56/57 percent in urban areas. The rate for Marivan was 53/94 percent and 56/34 percent in urban areas of Kurdistan Province. In addition, renting from 1986 to 2011 followed an upward trend (33/18 percent).Although the rate of ownership of property is different in different societies and high property ownership rates is not an indicator of favorable housing conditions, according to our cultural norms a decline in household ownership must be a sign of increased gap between social classes and low-income groups (particularly the first and fourth deciles) This is a manifestation of the effects of inefficient policies of the past, especially for low-income housing groups. Thus, index and housing standards should be flexible enough to meet the needs of users in different parts of the country to link with their cultural preferences and be based on preferences of residents.
Urban Planning
Volume 4, Issue 15 , August 2015, , Pages 93-105
Abstract
Redeveloping a brownfield land as an urban project, needs some qualitative considerations due to their complex and multidimensional identity. Hitherto, experts of brownfield redevelopment sector have introduced many quantitative and qualitative considerations in their research and actions. The ...
Read More
Redeveloping a brownfield land as an urban project, needs some qualitative considerations due to their complex and multidimensional identity. Hitherto, experts of brownfield redevelopment sector have introduced many quantitative and qualitative considerations in their research and actions. The subject of this study considers the qualitative aspects that have been introduced by different experts. Some important considerations that have been appointed include integrated planning, innovation, selection and composition of appropriate final land use, survey of socio-economic and service conditions of adjacent regions, attention to historical and environmental conditions of land, maintenance and expansion of existing infrastructure and buildings, establishment of conditional, temporary and short-time land uses. The problem that this study investigated was how to organize and prioritize these considerations for assessing the quality of brownfield redevelopment projects in Iran. Based on this question, providing a framework for introducing a series of qualitative considerations in brownfield redevelopment projects for internal experts was determined as a study goal. This framework can facilitate the assessment of Iran brownfield redevelopment projects. This research was an applicable research and used descriptive-analytical method and AHP technique. The required data for the first part of constructing a “quality assessment framework” was gathered through library survey of identified research related to brownfield redevelopment (52 cases were considered). In addition, the data for the second part of the research (namely the application of the proposed framework on Dooshan Tappeh airbase as a case study) was extracted from the Tehran Master Plan and detailed map of region 13. Organization and prioritization of identified considerations was identified in three sectors (substantive, procedural and executive) and on three scales (land, surrounding area and city) and ultimately a framework was created. This framework includes 25 types of qualitative considerations that can be used in assessment of Iran brownfield redevelopment projects. These considerations were introduced from 14 different sources. It is understood from this qualitative assessment framework that the quality of a redevelopment plan requires at least three separate actions. First, preparing a redevelopment plan that leads to sustainable development of brownfield land and its surrounding regions. This consideration should be based on the preparation and implementation of redevelopment project processes. This consideration can prevent the failure of a project and decrease the risk of reproducing of brownfield land or accelerate the deterioration cycle. Second, the integration of the redevelopment plan with other related plans of brownfield land and its peripheral boundary. This consideration can reduce the risk of future conflicts and waste of human, financial or time capital. Thirdly, the preparation of a redevelopment plan according to the condition and development priority of brownfield land amongst other brownfield lands in on a regional and urban scale. This consideration should be taken into consideration by urban authorities or project designers in particular. Advantages of this consideration are the prevention of capabilities waste and debarment of excessive pressure on a site. Applying the proposed framework in redevelopment programs in Dooshan Tapped airbase revealed that although there has been sufficient attention paid tosubstantive considerations in enacted programs, qualitative considerations regarding procedural and executive sectors have been weak because of ignorance or lack of relevance.
Urban Planning
n r; n s
Volume 4, Issue 14 , May 2015, , Pages 5-18
Abstract
Pubic space is a mixture of physical milieu of various activities with the purpose of showing social life visible for all. All parts of an urban fabric which are accessible physically and visually for all are considered as public space. They are the most important part of towns and cities in which ...
Read More
Pubic space is a mixture of physical milieu of various activities with the purpose of showing social life visible for all. All parts of an urban fabric which are accessible physically and visually for all are considered as public space. They are the most important part of towns and cities in which the greatest amount of contact and interaction among people take place. In public spaces, existence of users is not the only sign of success, a successful public space attracts different levels of activity. Whyte reminds us that: “The best-used places are sociable places, with a higher proportion of couples than you find in less-used places, more people in groups, more people meeting people, or exchanging goodbye. A high proportion of people in groups is an index of selectivity. When people go to a place in two or three or rendezvous there, it is most often because they have decided to. Nor are these sociable places less congenial to the individual. In absolute numbers, they attract more individuals than do less-used spaces”. The best-used places also tend to have a higher than average proportion of women. If a plaza has a markedly lower than average proportion of women, something is wrong. Where there is a higher than average proportion of women, the plaza is probably a good one and has been chosen as such. The condition that various cities, including Iranian cities, are confronted with makes the creation of successful public space a necessity. It is clear that for creating suitable public space, first, we should understand the factors influencing space and simultaneously solve and improve the problems through understanding the environment. Successful urban spaces should be responsible for their clients and be designed and managed to fulfill the needs of their users. Awareness of the needs, preferences of people and the space design by considering these requirements is one of the most important factors in attracting people and the success of public spaces. Studies conducted in different countries, consider the behavior of people in large cities very similar to each other, while based on this claim, the similarity between the people who live in small towns with the same nationality is much lower. In this article, as per the main goal of the research, a comparison of the effective factors in the success of public space in the minds and functional behavior of citizens in Ankara and Tehran with an emphasis on public space planning system is made. The indicators of a successful public space were extracted from the most important theorists’ points of views. Important theorists of successful public space such as White, Montgomery, Jacobs, Gehl, Carr, and Oldenburg, and the experience of famous international institutes are reviewed. Finally, a model for space evaluation based on place game model of PPS institute was presented in four dimensions. The indicators of these four dimensions -access and linkage, activity, comfort and image, and sociability- were estimated for selected statistical communities in Ankara & Tehran. The results of the research validate the assumption of similarity for preferences and needs of people in large cities. In addition, the findings indicate that there is little difference between the mental and functional behavior and spaces that citizens functionally prefer to attend at leisure time also corresponds to their mental preference. In public space planning systems, Ankara has been more successful than Tehran and on the national and local scale the same vision of planning is employed; they have a more coherent approach. Planning on a national scale to attract tourists, proposing Ankara as a Universal city and attempting to put it among European countries are the reasons that have improved public space quality in Ankara even though there is not any independent planning for public places in this city as is the case in Tehran.
Urban Planning
Hashem Dadashpoor; Sepideh Tadayon
Volume 4, Issue 14 , May 2015, , Pages 61-76
Abstract
The emergence of metropolitan areas is a phenomenon of the twentieth century and is a continuation of the prevailing trend of urbanization at the beginning of the eighteenth century. These new forms of urban areas are not only greater than previous ones in scale and more associated with decentralization, ...
Read More
The emergence of metropolitan areas is a phenomenon of the twentieth century and is a continuation of the prevailing trend of urbanization at the beginning of the eighteenth century. These new forms of urban areas are not only greater than previous ones in scale and more associated with decentralization, but qualitatively they are included in various types of systems. These new urban forms reflect fundamental structural dynamics that have changed the geography of urban areas. Different patterns of displacement can be the result of various factors including housing, employment and income levels, the factors that lead to different types of spatial mobility. In fact, depending on the degree of deviation from the consent of the provider of such elements, spatial mobility and displacement occurs in other areas. The impact of housing, employment and the ability to take advantage of the services required is very important and effective on formation of different spatial patterns. The Tehran metropolitan area including the city of Tehran and the surrounding population, economic and services centers has created a unique market for employment and residence. With regard to the distribution of housing, employment and services, various types of spatial mobility and travel patterns are emerging. The main objective of this research is identifying homogeneous areas in Tehran metropolitan area based on the number of flows and their convergence. By identifying and analyzing the characteristics of these zones, we can identify the flow conditions of spatial mobility and relations between the zones in the area and planning for it.
The method used in this research is descriptive - analytical. In order to identify homogeneous zones, two elements, spatial mobility and physical links were considered. According to the available data, the most important of data is the origin-destination flow of people’s trips and to achieve the desired objectives, network flow analysis method was used. Thus, to identify homogeneous areas and to discuss spatial mobility trends in Tehran metropolitan area, network analysis features and fraction analysis - as a network analysis tool- was used. In addition, in this study, the characteristics of each zone were based on the calculation of the network including centralization and power, and how the presence or absences of certain central cities in each category are determined.
Based on fraction analysis as a tool of network analysis, three main groups were identified in Tehran metropolitan area. The first category encompasses Tehran and Karaj metropolitan areas as well as the Central, South and Southeast cities in the region. The second category covers the north and northeast cities and the third category includes western most cities in the region. The zones comprise of cities in the region based on their distance from each other and their roles. The flow conditions are not similar across the area; the first zone, Tehran mega city and Karaj metropolitan, as central points have been allocated the maximum amount of connections and mobility and have also established stronger links with other zones. However, eastern and western zones have not been able to create considerable ties due to their great distance from each other. Tehran metropolitan area in addition to having a population of several million and a great deal of economic activities has a high level of functional linkages. Karaj metropolitan area has many economic activities in the form of manufacturing industries and factories based within it, and thus make the area an important place. The centers of Tehran and Karaj are attractive for travel from all over the metropolitan area while travel in other settlements occurs on a more local level. Most towns’ sphere of influence do not exceed the respective border city.
Dependence on Tehran and then Karaj, shows the unbalanced system of movement and mobility in Tehran metropolitan area, while structural-physical changes in the current situation depends on new image of the area, mainly a mix of links and nodes and also emphasis on looking more and more integrated into the centers and areas in the form of a network of settlements. By identifying types of trips and their orientation, travel management can reduce the degree of concentration and amount of damaging trips. In addition, unnecessary trips can be eliminated through the development of communication technologies and network facilities and services and trips in the area can be planned in a balanced system.
Urban Planning
mahin nastaran; kamran rabiei; kamyar abdekhoda
Volume 4, Issue 14 , May 2015, , Pages 91-101
Abstract
Commercial and border exchanges in Baneh city were carried out on a limited scale until the late 1980s. However, from the early 1990s with the construction of the border market of Siranband, commercial exchanges prospered in this city. The increase in the import of smuggled goods and the number of tourists ...
Read More
Commercial and border exchanges in Baneh city were carried out on a limited scale until the late 1980s. However, from the early 1990s with the construction of the border market of Siranband, commercial exchanges prospered in this city. The increase in the import of smuggled goods and the number of tourists created a context for certain jobs like street vendors and house renting. Although commercial prosperity in Baneh has had positive effects such as the creation of employment and increased economic power, the intensive centralization of informal activities in a small area of the city has caused many problems including congestion, sound pollution, air pollution, heavy traffic and reduction in the quality of life in the central area of the city. Therefore, undertaking research to reduce problems resulting from centralization of informal activities in the central area of Baneh as an area that is most influenced by these activities seems necessary. This research attempts to study the factors influencing informal employment in the border city of Baneh and suggests solutions for decreasing its negative impacts. Considering the extensive aspects of the research question in this study, various tools and approaches including survey, interviews with residents, sellers and experts and secondary analysis approach were used. This study has benefited from GIS and AUTOCAD software for drawing the plans and SPSS and EXCEL software for describing the statistic data. In the first stage of the process, the indices of informal employment were extracted. Secondly, after classifying the jobs under formal and informal categories, the distribution maps of formal and informal jobs were prepared. Then, by matching the maps, the exact area of centralization of informal trade was defined. Finally, the impacts of informal trade on this area were evaluated. The results indicate that being close to the border, the existence of social attachments beyond the border, lack of employment opportunities in the region, lack of customs laws and the smuggling of goods are the most important factors resulting in informal employment in this city. In conclusion, the increase in informal trade results in changes in land use from residential to commercial and growth of commercial complexes, horizontal and vertical development of the city, increasing the number of false jobs and heavy traffic. To reduce the problems caused by centralization of informal employment in Baneh, correct management of the market, expedition in the development of infrastructure, decrease in the centralization of commercial complexes and services in the central area and organizing the traffic plans of the central area are recommended.
Urban Planning
rasoul Babanasab; asghar zarrabi
Volume 4, Issue 13 , February 2015, , Pages 57-70
Abstract
Objectives In recent decades, a concept that has been comprehensively investigated is the concept of E-city. In a lot of developed countries and societies, E-city has been successfully implemented and recently the global approach is towards constructing E-societies. Nowadays, societies that have rapid ...
Read More
Objectives In recent decades, a concept that has been comprehensively investigated is the concept of E-city. In a lot of developed countries and societies, E-city has been successfully implemented and recently the global approach is towards constructing E-societies. Nowadays, societies that have rapid access to information and have expertise in exchanging information are more developed. E-city is a new form of urban life which can be formed along with a real world and in complete adaptability with it. It can solve many challenges including traffic, air pollution, administrative corruption, and social inequalities faced by real cities. Furthermore, in addition to presenting a new model in cities, it can provide citizens’ and managers’ access to the wants of a developed, creative, and knowledge-based urban society. Findings The present study aims at analyzing the indices of e-citizen from the perspective of citizens in Tabriz City. This study is an applied-developmental one in terms of objective, and a descriptive, analytical, and survey research in terms of nature and method. To collect the data, documentary and field (questionnaire) methods were employed. The sample population included citizens living in 10 areas in Tabriz City. Using Cochrane’s formula, the sample size was determined as 322 individuals and for a higher confidence rate, the number of participants was increased by 10 percent bringing the final sample size to 354 participants. To determine the required questionnaire of each region, weighting method based on the proportion of the population of each area was used. To analyze the data SPSS, Pearson correlation coefficient and one sample t-test were used. The findings indicate that in terms of the quality of citizens’ access to ICT facilities and centers of E-servicing, after administering one sample t-test, the mean scores and t-value were 3.19 and 5.13, respectively. These figures indicate relatively acceptable levels of access to these facilities. The current mean scores of the indices of e-citizen (2.79) by considering infrastructure are at an acceptable level. In addition, from citizens’ points of views, the optimized use of ICT and electronic services, in the case of Tabriz City, will have a positive effect on the different social, economic, environmental, and physical dimensions of sustainable urban development. After conducting one sample t-test, the mean scores and t-value were 3.71 and 19.03, respectively. In regards to the degree of citizens’ experiences in using ICT, the results reveal that more than 79% agreed with the necessity of expanding the use of ICT and creating an E-city. There is a significant correlation between citizens’ electronic preparedness and acceptance of the effects of using ICT and the expansion of e-city. The magnitude of the correlation as r=0.433 indicates a positive and increasing correlation between these two variables. Results Based on the results, information and communication technology and electronic city can have an impact on different economic, social, environmental and physical dimensions. This means that optimal use of ICT results in urban sustainable development. Since Tabriz is the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, the largest city in the north western region and the fifth most populated city of Iran, it has many problems such as air pollution, sound pollution, traffic, energy wastage, low citizen cooperation, and providing services to citizens. Despite such problems, novel instruction methods, contents and experiences in use of IT are required to be offered to citizens; role of ICT and creation of an electronic city is considered as a valuable movement toward experiencing a better life. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to the necessity of training with modern methods and contents, citizens consider the function of ICT as a valuable application for experiencing a better life.
Urban Planning
shahram mohamadi
Volume 4, Issue 13 , February 2015, , Pages 71-82
Abstract
Cities are the pinnacle of human civilization and urban centers are the heart of cities. Urban centers are special areas within cities which have witnessed historical trend of upheavals and are a result of a profound connection between the territory and its inhabitants, a connection which reflects the ...
Read More
Cities are the pinnacle of human civilization and urban centers are the heart of cities. Urban centers are special areas within cities which have witnessed historical trend of upheavals and are a result of a profound connection between the territory and its inhabitants, a connection which reflects the whole society itself, linking the changes of the human community to the central limits of the city. When modernization came to Iran, the city became a reasonable place and urbanism changed to a desirable style of living. Urban centers in Iran have not only been close to modernistic changes but also have experienced the highest scale of urban changes and problems. Zanjan city as a city which has not been far from recent changes is a clear example of undesirable and unwanted changes in the center of a city. Lack of adaptation to the new style of living in the old and historical structure of the center of Zanjan city is a problem which has resulted in numerous undesirable events in the existing space and structure. The existence of a close and intricate link between the numerous problems related to the city center is like a puzzle, the right solution to which is in a solution different from the current trend. Multilateral links between the capabilities and opportunities of this area with a glance at the existing undesirable status is an idea which again challenges the definition of what has occurred. In this regard, Strategic Thinking Approach was used as a strong approach with such characteristics as creativity and logical thinking in the process of strategy development for analyzing and identifying issues and problems. Among the numerous models propounded, the Iranian model of Ghaffarian & Kiani was used to achieve the strategic thinking needed for analyzing the spatial-physical structure of the limits of Zanjan city center. The objective for selecting such an approach was to assess and identify important factors creating problems within the physical spatial structure of the city. The research purpose, method of evaluation, and collecting the findings was accomplished through library research, surveys and questionnaires. The survey sample size was 153 people selected among Zanjan citizens. The analysis of the obtained data was carried out using descriptive and analytical methods of AHP and Fishbone. The results of the research demonstrate that the factors which created issues and problems in the central area of Zanjan city were, in order of importance, traffic, shortage of parking space per capita, shortage of entertainment, recreational, and cultural facilities per capita as well as lack of free time enjoyed by people. In terms of eliminating each of the aforesaid problems, traffic associated with the influence of other problems and difficulties requires the most effort. By eliminating the identified problems and difficulties using the Strategic Thinking approach, the central limits of Zanjan city will enjoy the maximum benefits resulting from the identified opportunities in this area. We also conclude that Strategic Thinking approach has considerable capacities for analyzing the spatial-physical structure of the central area of Zanjan city.
Urban Management
h n; n r; m r
Volume 4, Issue 13 , February 2015, , Pages 83-92
Abstract
Housing is a basic need and a major problem for most countries, especially in countries with rapidly growing urbanization like Iran. This factor along with the lack of a comprehensive housing plan and deficiencies in economic management have brought housing to the forefront of planning issues in this ...
Read More
Housing is a basic need and a major problem for most countries, especially in countries with rapidly growing urbanization like Iran. This factor along with the lack of a comprehensive housing plan and deficiencies in economic management have brought housing to the forefront of planning issues in this country as a complex and multi-dimensional issue. Up to now many programs have been put forward by the government regarding the state of housing in different parts of the country. Mehr Housing which is a country wide social housing program has recently been the main subject of governmental actions for housing improvements. As stated by the government, this program seeks to provide affordable houses for the low-income, improve the quality and quantity of housing production, improve the environmental conditions specifically in metropolitan areas, attract individual and small capital to the housing sector, control the rapid fluctuations in land value, manage the growth of peripheries and in general improve the social justice status regarding housing. This program aims to achieve the mentioned goals by omitting the price of land for low-income groups of society and give them housing units using a 99-year lease. These units which have different conditions and characteristics with an average area of 75 square meters have been given to applicants in metropolises, big cities and medium ones. Due to lack of vacant lands within metropolises and big cities, these housing complexes are regulated to be located in new towns surrounding urban regions and their construction is only possible through the formation of cooperatives consisting of low-income members. This article attempts to discern the deficiencies of this program and consequently propose solutions for suitable housing through evaluation of Mehr housing policies in Iran. In order to do so, first the existing literature concerning the characteristics of housing in Iran and other countries were reviewed and 36 housing indicators were extracted which were then grouped into 9 criteria using factor analysis. Then, the indicators’ degree of freedom regarding Mehr Housing policies were measured. This was followed by regression analysis which was used to measure the effect of the factors and their degree of significance. Next, the priority rank of the factors was calculated. This ranking shows the priorities regarding the modification of policies. Results indicate that the “scheme and construction of the house and the surrounding environment” factor is the first priority followed by “placement and position”, “facilities and services”, “size of the housing unit”, “coverage of the in-need groups”, “economic justifiability”, “density”, “infrastructure” and “urban space” in order mentioned. Finally, solutions for improving Mehr housing projects were proposed based on the indicators in each of these 9 criteria. For example, in the case of scheme and construction of the house and the surrounding environment, the strategies and solutions should deal with the following indicators: relationships between neighbors, quality of design and construction, the quality of materials, seismic resistance, design of pedestrian corridors, green spaces and environmentally safe waste disposal sites.
Urban Planning
m s; j t; m ch
Volume 3, Issue 12 , November 2014, , Pages 19-32
Abstract
Despite the fundamental economic, social, political and technological transformations, urban planning process has not undergone any sensible change since 1968 to the present time and the role and position of planners and its prominent actor, i.e. the government, have remained invariant. A major part ...
Read More
Despite the fundamental economic, social, political and technological transformations, urban planning process has not undergone any sensible change since 1968 to the present time and the role and position of planners and its prominent actor, i.e. the government, have remained invariant. A major part of this change has resulted from the viewpoint held by planners who see the planning process as a technical, physical and intellectual process. In the present study, using concepts such as “knowledge”, “reality”, “rationality”, “value”, and “policy” an attempt has been made to criticize the traditional planning process, which is the dominant process in Iran. This study, by introducing other alternatives of scientific knowledge and instrumental rationality and exhibiting some gaps in the robust framework of the reality emphasized in traditional planning, addresses the role of values, experience, and mentality of planners as well as policy and policy implementation employed by social activists in the planning process. Furthermore, it reviews the unbiased and value-free perceptions of traditional values. For this purpose, through interviewing the managing directors of the country’s largest consulting engineering companies, which are in charge of preparing designs in Iran, we have investigated their various mentalities, perceptions, and experiences about the forces and approaches influencing the planning process. The reason why we have chosen company directors instead of project managers or design experts is that directors are more involved in the interactions with different actors in the planning process. After conducting the interviews with 15 managing directors, the contents of the interviews were scripted and the results were applied to review the framework of traditional planning process. Since government, in contrast to society, holds all the powers and fulfills all the duties and is involved in almost all urban planning processes, by drawing five abstract states of planners’ positions (governmental planners, government-serving planners, independent planners, public-serving planners, and public planners) we have assumed that there is a distance between the two main sides of society (government and community) where planners find an angled position with these two elements of society. By defining this position, planners in the planning process determine their relations with each of the primary forces where the smaller the angle, the closer the relationships.
Urban Planning
r h; a m; F M
Volume 3, Issue 12 , November 2014, , Pages 33-46
Abstract
In recent decades the issues of urban quality of life and the promotion of citizens’ satisfaction in regards to their living environment have attracted the attention of many researchers and international organizations as high as the United Nation which releases an annual report entitled “Human ...
Read More
In recent decades the issues of urban quality of life and the promotion of citizens’ satisfaction in regards to their living environment have attracted the attention of many researchers and international organizations as high as the United Nation which releases an annual report entitled “Human Report”. This report illustrates the differences between cities in terms of level of quality of life. Quality of life is measured by various factors and one of the most important measures of quality of life is physical security which if paid attention to reduces problems such as the devastating effects of natural disasters, lack of sense of relief in urban spaces and so forth. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life based on standards of quality of life and quality of physical security in settlements. The standards of quality of life and physical security in both objective and subjective aspects in the ancient city of Urmia was evaluated and investigated as a case study. The method used in this paper is survey-analysis. The investigation was carried out using questionnaires, AHP (AHP) model and Fuzzy Techniques, linear regression and Pearson correlation analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. By using library resources and research undertaken on the subject, this research determined indicators of physical quality and security including access to housing facilities, infrastructure and home ownership conditions. In order to achieve the goal of study, the hypothesis “it seems that improvement in the quality of life and physical security in the old city of Urmia can result in the satisfaction of its citizens” was introduced. To analyze the data and verify the hypothesis, the indicator index was first calculated. In order to analyze the objective data, off-scaling phase was used and the degree of membership of variable indicators studied for each housing unit was obtained. Finally, by combining the coefficients of the variables and the degree of membership variables, objective life quality final score (a measure of security and physical quality) per dwelling unit was attained. In the next section, subjective survey data was examined. By combining the coefficients and parameters of the obtained scores of Likert scale questionnaire, subjective quality of life in the final score was calculated for each residential unit. To assess the relationship between physical quality and physical security with mental quality of life, the standards of security and physical quality as independent parameters was introduced. The combination of responses from citizens were introduced as dependent variables. By testing the hypothesis and obtaining a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.984 and coefficient of determination of 0.969 showed that there is a very strong correlation between urban life quality index and physical security in the old city of Urmia. The results show that satisfaction in access to services statistically has a significant positive effect on subjective quality of life and resident satisfaction from the variables of quality of life and physical security leads to greater increase in satisfaction of the subjective quality of life. These findings remind urban planners that physical parameters have a great role in increasing satisfaction of quality of life of citizens.
Urban Planning
H S; F N
Volume 3, Issue 12 , November 2014, , Pages 47-58
Abstract
It is not new to think about justice and the ways one can make cities more just. In all schools of thought, from left to right, planners and politicians have considered themselves the champions of justice. However, up to the 1980s, it was the socialists who considered justice as their central ...
Read More
It is not new to think about justice and the ways one can make cities more just. In all schools of thought, from left to right, planners and politicians have considered themselves the champions of justice. However, up to the 1980s, it was the socialists who considered justice as their central focus and not the liberals. Since the beginning of the 21st Century, several non-socialist philosophers have begun to talk about justice within the framework of liberal planning. Thus, it can be argued that one new school of thought has come to forth as the Just City approach. Justice, as the fundamental value of action in planning, moves some theorists such as Susan Fainstein to write on this subject. Since Just City is not one “theory”, we first attempt to identify the most influential theories within “Just City” spectrum. One question that is answered here is which pathways are taken by planning theories to deal with the issue of Justice. Justice and injustice are generic concepts within any kind of social relations. To define “Just City Planning”, we look at different arenas of justice. Here, we explain and compare socialist views (Harvey), communicative planning (Innes), commons planning (Marcuse), discursive planning (Fischer), to “Just City”. The core of each theory is explained and compared. The borderlines for each theory are identified and overlaps are discussed. The concept of “social” as pertains to “social justice” is viewed here as a generic concept which deals with relations between two or more persons. Therefore, the nature of “Just Planning” is discussed here in relation to concepts such as “political justice”, “judicial justice”, “economic justice”, “cultural justice”, and “spatial-physical justice”. The criteria used to make the differentiation between these concepts are “scale” and “outcome”. The “means” and “ends” for each pave the way for using the said criteria. For example, the means for political justice are orientation and macro-level strategies for decision making in order to achieve ends such as an increase in citizen satisfaction and their support in elections. The “outcomes” are presented in a number of graphs which show the tangible and nontangible results in micro- and macro-scales. On the x-axis, the “result” from tangible to non-tangible is shown. On the y-axis, the scale from micro to macro is presented. For each of the concepts, it is asked where the Just City Planning stands within the said graphs. Considering the spatial and economic dimensions of urban planning, it is argued that Just City Planning overlaps with cultural justice, economic justice, and spatial justice. It is argued here that the “Just Planning” phenomenon has more parallels to spatial justice and less with economic and cultural justice. Planners are involved with preparing urban development plans and presenting strategies and policies for urban management and not necessarily constructing buildings. It is, however, influenced by political and judicial justice to some extent. The relationship between Just City Planning and political and judicial justice is best explained through the workings of spatial justice, and to some extent, economic and cultural justice.
Urban Management
M H; N S
Volume 3, Issue 12 , November 2014, , Pages 73-86
Abstract
Two decades after the Urban Collection Bill being passed in Iran, there are still some profound doubts both in theory and in administrative-organizational dimension. Many studies have been conducted in this field and even a great deal of experience in urban planning has as yet to make authorities achieve ...
Read More
Two decades after the Urban Collection Bill being passed in Iran, there are still some profound doubts both in theory and in administrative-organizational dimension. Many studies have been conducted in this field and even a great deal of experience in urban planning has as yet to make authorities achieve an optimum and accepted model for managing and planning urban collections. The major reason is lack of attention to spatial and organizational realities and the structure of decision-making in Iran, lack of close scrutiny of administrative mechanisms and ignoring the necessity of planning approaches adapted to the administrative and planning structure of the country. The research in this adaptive investigation aims to make recommendations for some approaches to improve the management and planning of urban collections. This was carried out in three stages by referring to documents, books and articles related to this subject and studying the planning and management experiences in the two cities of Sydney and Toronto. As such, the facts and differences in Iran’s structure of decision-making and administration were considered. Selecting suitable and adaptable case studies is the key to success in comparative research. Thus, samples were selected based on the two criteria of (1) the macro-structure of planning in countries being studied (level of regionalism) and (2) the success of the selected metropolitan regions in planning and managing the growth. The research results lead to two types of general (pertaining to the macro level of planning) and regional (pertaining to urban collections) problems. Two groups of approaches are then suggested: (1) structural-management: to improve the administrative structure and the system of macro-decision-making; and (2) planning-management: to qualitatively improve the content of plans and programs of urban collections. The major approaches are to create an organization regionally responsible for urban collections to appropriate the duty of decision-making to regional bodies rather than regional branches of ministries, and to create a think tank that includes representatives of the institute managing regions to make major decisions. In the area of administration and programming problems, the suggested approaches include planning for land use, transportation and housing, emphasizing the principle of competitiveness and simultaneous synergy in the region (stress being on a strong relation between peripheral cities), and taking a cyclic approach rather than hierarchical planning for outlines.
Urban Planning
m e; e z
Volume 3, Issue 11 , August 2014, , Pages 19-36
Abstract
In this article, factors influencing the integrity of the historic fabric of urban development projects are studied. Integration is one of the main features of the historic fabric of cities with hot and dry climates which is influenced by urban development projects. Reviewing theoretical and empirical ...
Read More
In this article, factors influencing the integrity of the historic fabric of urban development projects are studied. Integration is one of the main features of the historic fabric of cities with hot and dry climates which is influenced by urban development projects. Reviewing theoretical and empirical literature revealed that integration criteria is classified under five categories that include unification, interconnectedness and connectivity, porosity, authenticity and vulnerability. To investigate the effects of urban development plans on these criteria, the Revitalization of Imam Ali Square project, as one of the most important projects concerning the regeneration of the integrity of the historic fabric, was selected. This project was implemented in the crowded area of central Isfahan. The square dates back to eight hundred years ago. The open space of the square has been occupied since almost two hundred years ago, and just recently authorities decided to revitalize it. After introducing and surveying the case study area, the effects of the revitalization project on Imam Ali Square were examined based on the twenty-one sub-criteria of connectivity and interconnectedness of which information existed. Linkage and connectivity of access network, linkage and connectivity of landuses and functions, linkage and connectivity through revitalization of ancient buildings and ruins, linkage and connectivity of mass and space, linkage and connectivity of urban spaces walls and linkage and connectivity through the density are the six main criteria of interconnedtedness and connectivity principle. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to evaluate the project. In this research, the way AHP was carried out differed from the general way it is carried out in urban planning. That is because in the general use of AHP, several alternative plans exist whereas in this survey only one plan or option existed. Evaluating one plan by AHP needs three hypothetical alternatives. The plan can be compared with an acceptable hypothetical alternative, a desirable hypothetical alternative and an ideal hypothetical alternative. The overall result of the evaluation shows that the regeneration of Imam Ali Square is at an acceptable level. After comparing the hypothetical state of the present plan with the various criteria, the results indicate that the main criteria of interconnectedness and connectivity is far from the ideal state. Thus, although the physical-spatial criteria of integration are reasonable, it must be revised with an emphasis on process and flexibility in order to achieve better integration. The conclusion also shows how AHP can be used as a quantitive tool for evaluating qualitative criteria by assuming other alternatives. Possible solutions for reintegration of historic fabrics through revitalization plans include active participation of local community, urban design and transportation solutions of main access paths and streets for decreasing car speed, determination of urban design guidelines regarding quantity and quality of building new paths and widening existing paths in the peripheral areas of urban spaces. In addition to these guidelines, other solutions for the reintegration of urban historic fabrics are gradual development of street networks, flexibility of revitalization plans, small scale development and avoiding large scale ruins and demolitions, and paying attention to the current community needs and desires.
Urban Management
m k; m b
Volume 3, Issue 11 , August 2014, , Pages 37-48
Abstract
Increasing urbanization has created many problems and the administration and management of cities are faced with new challenges. These problems in third world countries are higher. Most of these problems are related to the political structure of the country. Therefore, citizen participation in urban ...
Read More
Increasing urbanization has created many problems and the administration and management of cities are faced with new challenges. These problems in third world countries are higher. Most of these problems are related to the political structure of the country. Therefore, citizen participation in urban governance in these countries is more necessary. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme of Action has strategies for achieving shelter for all, and has also proposed a move for the proper management and sustainable development of cities. These guidelines, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations at the end of the twentieth century, have been set and implemented. Political systems can be centralized or decentralized. Generally, a non-centralized political and spatial system has more credibility amongst people. For this reason, local governments are one of the most important indicators of political and spatial distribution of power. Good governance also emphasizes decentralized political and spatial structure. In contemporary Iran, the concept of good governance and urban literature is abundant, but less attention is given to implementation of the legal field. Good governance is defined as the participative process in public affairs and where there is participation of the public sector, the private sector, and the government. It is argued that good governance is very essential for the management of urban development. However, little attention is being paid to the principles and potentials of the relevant laws in this area. This study aims to emphasize the role of good governance in the formulation of Iran’s and Tehran’s urban development laws and regulations. The major objective of this study is to identify and explain the degree of conformity between Tehran’s and Iran’s urban development laws and regulations with the principles of good urban governance. This study is explorative, descriptive and applicative in nature. The main sources that were used to collect the data required for this research include: 1. Organizational Law and Islamic Council's Mayoral Elections 2. Municipalities Law 3. Municipal Finance Law 4. Strategic-Structural Plan (Master Plan) of Tehran 5. Tehran landscape blueprints 6. Strategic plan of Tehran's Council 7. Medium-term action plans of Tehran Municipality 8. Long-term action plan of Tehran Municipality 9. Framework and approaches of Medium-term Action Plan of Tehran Municipality 10. Strategies for the implementation of the mandate Tehran Municipality 11. Budget of Tehran Municipality This study employed the Delphi method in order to conform the content of Tehran’s and Iran’s urban development laws and regulations to urban good governance principles. This study suggests that there is a relative orientation between those two issues. The rules of urban development of Tehran city conform and relate with the principles of good governance in 250 cases. The principles of ‘accountability’, municipal development laws, guidelines, and Tehran’s Municipality budget are the most accommodating. In addition, all of the contents of this research are the principles of good governance for cities. The regulations adopted by the City Council of Tehran Municipality have greater compliance with the principles of good governance. However, this direction has been developed with the aim of achieving access to good governance and urban planning. Thus, if these rules are implemented correctly, they can have an important role in promoting good governance in the city. This issue requires further research in order to expand this field.
